Time Heals
by LovelyxIrony
Summary: There's a saying that time heals all wounds, but Ianto Jones doesn't think such a saying is true. Starts after "Cyberwoman".  Book one of possibly four. Janto fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Time Heals

**Author: **LovelyxIrony

**Rating:** T [for later chapters]

**Summary:** There's a saying that time heals all wounds, but Ianto doesn't think such a saying is true. Starts after "Cyberwoman" and goes on from there, mainly following the relationship between Jack and Ianto. **Janto fic**

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Chapter One

Blood still stained the floor, no matter how many times Ianto had tried to scrub it away. He gritted his teeth, pushing the bristles of the brush harder against the stone with almost robotic movements. At the same time, Ianto tried to fight back memories of what had occurred in this room; of memories of why blood had come to be on the floor. He flicked his tongue out nervously, wetting his suddenly dry lips and stopping for a moment to lean back on his knees. The conversion unit still stood where he had placed it months back, gleaming almost cruelly in the dim light. A small relief to Ianto, however, was that the bodies that had been strewn along the floor had been removed a while ago. It had been a kindness on his boss' behalf that had shocked Ianto.

Images flipped to the surface of Ianto's mind and he fought back bile, feeling himself gag for a moment before tightening his grip on the brush. It was pressed against the floor again as Ianto's eyes slammed shut and he took a few deep, shuddering breaths.

Those pictures - memories - would forever haunt him and he knew it. The whole thing had been his fault, and Ianto felt he should have seen something like this coming from the very beginning. But he had been blinded. Although the question of blinded by_ what _was rather hard to answer. It couldn't quite have been called love, he realized, because the passion he'd felt with Lisa years ago had somehow managed to fade and become a shadow of its former self. No, he'd been blinded by an _obligation_ to the shell of his lover.

His dead lover, who Ianto realized now hadn't been alive ever since the cyberman had taken over her body and manipulated Ianto into believing that he could bring his Lisa back. The thing had tricked him into believing that he could somehow make the robot side of her once more human. Ianto had been stupid not to have seen what was going on, and it had taken Jack's harsh words to make him really see what was going on.

A small shudder swept down Ianto's frame, although he couldn't tell what it was from.

"Ianto." A deep American voice penetrated his darkening thoughts and Ianto startled, snapping his eyes open and getting hastily to his feet. The Welshman's eyes took in the form of his boss, Captain Jack Harkness, who was regarding him with an unreadable look. The man's eyes were narrowed, head cocked slightly to the side for a few moments before the American spoke. "You don't need to do that," Jack gestured at the drying blood, sliding his tanned hands into his old fashioned coat as he spoke. "We can fix it later. I'd prefer you not be down here, actually." The captain removed one hand from a pocket, moving forward and pressing the hand insistently into the small of Ianto's back, propelling him out the door.

The younger of the two let him, eyes downcast as guilt hit him. Confusion was there as well - why was Jack being so kind when, not even hours before, Ianto had held a gun to the man and his team? Then again, Ianto recalled, Jack was always incredibly hard to understand. Ianto's blue eyes flicked to meet with his boss' lighter ones before falling back down to stare at the floor. They entered the central area of the Hub, and the older man let his hand drop from where it had remained pressed at the small of the Welshman's back. A beat of silence followed, and then Jack cleared his throat.

Almost reluctantly, Ianto turned his body to survey the captain. "Sir?"

There was the faintest flicker of something in Jack's eyes, but it was gone a second later. "I want you to head home - get some sleep, you look like you could use it." There was the hint of humor in the captain's voice, and it drove Ianto nuts. Why was the man so bloody _forgiving_ when he had wanted to tear Ianto to pieces earlier that night? Ianto didn't say anything, however, figuring that it was better not to press his luck. He merely inclined his head then turned to leave, only freezing when Jack spoke once again. "And you're on a two week suspension. I don't want to see your face here any earlier than that."

* * *

The instant Ianto had reached his apartment, he'd gone to the couch and sat down, curling in on himself and shutting his eyes. His frame started to shake a little, from nerves and stress, but Ianto tried to ignore it as he clenched his fingers roughly in his hair for some sort of distraction. The Welshman buried his face into his drawn up knees, fighting back the grief that hit him hard all of a sudden. Grief for the Lisa he'd known, for the Lisa he had tried desperately to save. The Lisa that had been so perfect that it had always made Ianto wonder why on Earth she had ended up with someone like him. He recalled her laugh and her beautiful smile - that one special smile that Lisa had always seemed to reserve for Ianto alone.

A sob shuddered through Ianto and he tightened his grip painfully in his hair, almost as if punishing himself. His body jerked forward with the cry and Ianto sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth, biting down hard for a few minutes. More sobs ravaged his body as Ianto curled up more into a ball, feeling himself start to shudder harder.

He didn't want to live with this. Ianto wished, desperately, that Jack had shot him like he'd threatened to. Or, at the very least, had the decency to retcon him and take all the pain away.

Then again, maybe Jack had already thought of those and dismissed the ideas instantly. After all, this was the best punishment that the man could have thought up, Ianto thought bitterly as he continued to sob. Having to live with the guilt and grief - the burning, sick feeling in his stomach - was hell for Ianto.

And he was sure Jack knew that. The bastard.

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**R&R please! Chapter two will be coming soon, faster maybe if I get some encouragement :].  
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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The first couple days of his suspension passed by much like Ianto had thought they would. He'd spent most of the time wallowing in his self pity, barely finding it in himself to get out of bed. On the third day, Ianto spent most of the morning staring blankly up at the ceiling before dragging his body out of bed and through to the kitchen. On his way, the Welshman caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and grimaced. His normally well groomed hair stood all over the place, he looked pale, and Ianto's eyes were currently cradled in dark circles.

With a small sigh, Ianto swept a hand through his hair and stepped into the kitchen, his mind still elsewhere. He was so deeply ingrossed in whatever thoughts he was having, that it took Ianto a moment or two to realize that someone stood in his kitchen. With a sharp cry, Ianto stiffened and instantly got into what he hoped looked like a threatening manner, because he knew that his current physical look wouldn't do much. He raised his fists about eye level, vaguely trying to repeat a position he'd seen a man take in some drunken fight at a bar he'd been to recently. The effect, Ianto thought, was probably ruined by the fact that he was still in his night clothes.

Instead of the attack he'd been expecting, a chuckle rang through the kitchen and Jack Harkness turned with two coffee cups in hand. With a broad grin, the captain held one out to the younger man. "Coffee?" He asked, in what Ianto considered an all too cheerful voice.

The Welshman mentally cursed himself for giving his boss the spare key to his apartment not too long ago. In all honesty, however, Ianto really hadn't considered that Jack would ever use it to his advantage as they'd never tried to do anything out of the Hub. At the captain's offer of coffee, he merely shook his head and continued to stare for a moment. Then, Ianto abruptly came to his senses and felt completely underdressed as he took in Jack's normal outfit. "I was under the impression that I was on suspension, sir." He tried to say this in his politest tone, gaze flickering over Jack's face. "So what are you doing here?"

"You still _are_ on suspension, Ianto." The American replied smoothly, setting one of the cups down when it was evident Ianto didn't want it. "Only from work, however. I'm afraid you can't get away from me that easily." He gave a grin that Ianto figured the other found attractive, but only served to make the Welshman roll his eyes. The grin faltered on Jack's face, and then he took a sip of the coffee, grimacing after a moment. "Besides that, Owen thinks it's probably a good idea we keep an eye on you."

"An eye on me, sir?"

"Just to make sure you're doing alright."

"And why would Owen suggest such a thing?" Ianto had raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms in front of his chest as though that might hide his bare chest and loosely clinging gray sweatpants. "I wasn't aware that the man even gave a shit about me."

Jack stared at him for a moment, lips pressed into a thin line, then shrugged. "I was concerned as well. You shouldn't be alone in this, Ianto. Even if that is what you want." They stared at each other for a moment, and Ianto merely shook his head with a small sigh. There was that familiar glint in Jack's eyes that told Ianto there really was no use arguing. It was comforting that at least one thing hadn't changed in his life.

"Do you want to talk?" Ianto blinked, staring again at Jack. That was an offer that was tempting, but not at the same time. While he thought it over, Ianto missed Jack moving around the counter until the others hand lightly touched his face. Ianto flinched, taking a quick step back so Jack couldn't repeat the motion without moving. The older man frowned but didn't say anything, waiting.

Ianto took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He couldn't handle this - Jack being so close. Not right then, when his thoughts and emotions were jumbled up. The Welshman opened his eyes again, making sure to keep the distance between his captain and himself. It had always been hard to think clearly when Jack was too close to him. Ianto found that it made him do things he'd regret later. "No, sir," He wasn't sure what he was saying no to right then - Jack's offer to talk, or Jack's offer of comfort. Ianto had the feeling he knew where both would put them.

They regarded each other for a second more, and to Ianto's relief, Jack's phone going off broke the staring contest. Turning away from Ianto, the captain flipped his phone open and spoke into it, snapping it shut a few seconds later. "Rift activity." He said after a moment, tugging back on his coat which had been drapped over one of Ianto's kitchen chairs. "Tosh will be here in a bit to see how you're doing." Jack called over his shoulder, not catching the flare of irritation on Ianto's features.

All he wanted was to be alone, couldn't they understand that?

* * *

Babysitting. It was as if he was a child and they had to keep a constant eye on him. These were the annoyed thoughts that ran through Ianto's head almost a week later as he let Tosh into the apartment. At the moment, Ianto was thankful it was her and not anyone else with him. Jack he could tolerate, Gwen was...well, she tended to prattle on too much about useless things as if to fill up the silence, and Owen - when he was forced to visit - had stayed silent. Ianto figured that was the man's way of telling him that any friendship they may have gained in the past few months had been destroyed by Ianto's secret.

Tosh was, well, Tosh. To Ianto, she'd always been the one of them with common sense in her head.

Now they sat side-by-side on Ianto's couch, neither talking as the telly flashed some commerical before their eyes. "You know," Tosh started after a moment, shifting to face the Welshman. "I'll be glad when you're back at work, Ianto."

"Why is that?"

"Everything will be back to normal, I suppose." She gave a shrug as if unsure of how to explain herself. "And besides, we'll be getting that coffee of yours back. Don't tell Jack, but he's rubbish at making coffee." Ianto recalled the man's face a couple of days back after he'd tried to make coffee and gave a soft laugh. Yes, he could see that.

* * *

Ianto wasn't sure if he being back in work. He'd spent most of his time rushing around getting coffee ready, not at all surprised when he didn't get a thank you from anyone but Jack. That was how it had always been - the others acted as if the coffee had just popped out of thin air and been placed on their desks. Even Tosh, who apparently had forgotten that she'd said it would be nice to have him back. The attitudes of his coworkers used to irritate Ianto, but he was grateful for it now. They didn't look at him, which meant he didn't have to feel the stabbings of guilt that he'd grown accustomed to.

He felt a churning, sinking feeling however as he stepped into the archives and swept passed the room that used to house Lisa. Ianto stopped, staring at the door for a moment as if expecting to see the conversion unit again. As though he'd see his dead girlfriend smiling back at him from it. The Welshman gave himself a firm shake then continued on toward the archives, sighing when he spotted the mess.

It was like he was taking care of children, Ianto thought with a sigh as he packed things back into their regular drawers and marked things on folders before setting them back down again. He heard the unmistakable sounds of footsteps, and turned to find his boss coming toward him. There was a look on Jack's face that Ianto wasn't sure he liked all that much.

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**There ya go! I'm not quite sure I like this chapter yet, but it's more a transitional chapter into the rest of the story - ch. 3 will be much better, I promise! R&R please :]! And sorry if you kept getting e-mails about this chapter being up - I kept finding problems with it so I kept trying to fix everything.  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Can I start by saying how freaking surprised and happy I am that this story has ended up on thirteen peoples alert lists :D??! I'm shocked and very honored that apparently that many people like it so far! Sadly, my updates might be coming a little bit later now - I find myself slowly turning into a blob of hysterical goo as senior year ends and college comes closer to starting. I _WILL_ be updating this though, so don't worry!**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter Three

They stared at each other for a moment, silent. Ianto found himself too scared to form any words as he took in his boss' expression. It was a mixture of annoyance and something else that the Welshman couldn't quite place his finger on. Then again, he would've called it insecure on anyone else. The Jack Harkness that Ianto knew was never insecure, and he doubted the captain had ever been. And even if he happened to ever feel that way, the man always hid it behind a cocky grin or arrogant words.

"I need to know something."

Ianto cocked an eyebrow up at that, although the nervous feeling in his gut didn't disappear. Jack rarely ever looked serious, and when he did look it, someone was usually on the end of his gun. Either that, or at the other end of the interrogation table. "How can I help, sir?"

"You can drop the 'sir' bullshit for one."

The younger of the two stared at the captain harder at that, shaking his head. Jack usually didn't demand that he drop the "sir" bit unless they were...otherwise occupied. And as Ianto had made it blatantly clear he was done with what they'd had...he shook his head again, deciding not to dwell on it. "What do you want?"

Jack paused, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Ianto, who suddenly felt overexposed. Damn those eyes which were far too good at undressing him. Ianto would have to find a way to put a stop to that. "I want to know if we were just fucking because you wanted to keep me from finding out about that thing in the basement."

At any other time, Ianto most likely would have been appalled that Jack had just announced what they'd been doing where the rest of the team could hear him. At that moment, however, he suddenly tensed and glared. "To keep you from finding _Lisa_, you mean?"

"Whatever."

"It's not whatever! _She _had a _name_!" Ianto snapped, feeling himself bristle. He knew sometimes Jack could be callous beyond belief, but this..."It'd be nice if you could remember that, Jack." He was irritated to hear his voice shaking a little bit. He was _not _going to break down. Not in front of Jack of all people. "And what does it matter to you if that was the only reason I let you fuck me? It's not like you weren't with other people." Other people who hadn't meant as much to Jack as Lisa had to Ianto.

There was that look in Jack's eyes again that Ianto wasn't sure he liked. It was, dare he think it, almost jealous. The captain opened his mouth to speak, but paused as his com-link suddenly switched on. "We'll finish this later." Jack said softly, then turned to leave.

Ianto watched him leave, then turned back to the archives and continued to sort them.

* * *

The rest of the day, Ianto made a point to keep himself busy and away from Jack. Conversation was one thing, but the subject that the captain wanted to discuss was _not _something Ianto wanted to get into. Not when he still felt like he was bleeding inside. Jack, however, didn't seem to understand and kept trying to make eye contact with Ianto, who forced himself to not look back.

He was thankful when work hours were over, moving quickly around to pick up the empty cups as Gwen, Owen, and Tosh left. Jack, thank God, had disappeared into the room he kept beneath his office. He didn't come back up as Ianto moved to dump the cups into the sink, intent on cleaning them quickly. A moment later, Ianto froze when the computer he was at gave a loud chirp, the screen flickering on.

With a frown, Ianto looked over the screen to see a map of the city. There was something blinking on the screen and he toward one of the filing cabinents by Jack's office, riffling through it until his hand curled around the folder he needed. Ianto took it out, flipping quickly through the pages before his eyes landed on what he wanted. He gave a nod, shutting the folder and moving back toward the computer when a voice stopped him.

"You shouldn't be here."

Jack stood in the doorway, clad in his usual outfit. Ianto froze, looking at him for a moment before shrugging. "Neither should you." He moved away quickly, lowering his gaze and sliding back onto the seat near the computer. Typing in something that was written on the sheet quickly and staring at the screen, Ianto tensed when he felt Jack put his hand on his shoulder. The man knew nothing of personal space. They were silent for a moment as Ianto stared up at the screen with a frown. "What have you got?" Jack asked quietly after a moment, and Ianto felt his eyes on his face.

"Funny sort of weather patterns." Ianto responded, looking at Jack for a moment. He watched as a strange look settled over the other man's face, his lips thinning. That one look told Ianto that Jack was worried about whatever had caused the sudden change in weather. Ianto didn't ask, however, watching as Jack suddenly dashed toward his office, apparently intent on calling the others back into the office. He didn't remind the other man that it was well passed midnight, and waking the others at such an ungodly hour probably wouldn't go over too well. The Welshman didn't say anything, however, figuring that would only put Jack in a bad mood. And, judging by his face, the news that Ianto had given him had put the captain in a bad enough mood.

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**R&R please :D!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Whoaaa. Twenty eight story alerts, six favorites, and one favorite author?! *Feels the love***

**And since I feel kind of late in doing this, I'm going to reply to the reviews I got, considering I think that's a polite thing to do when someone reviews your story. Thank you to all of you who reviewed my story, by the way. It makes me want to write more of it, and is also giving me an inflated ego (kidding, kidding). SO. REPLIES TO REVIEWS:**

**1) Rosieposy:** I know, three chapters after you reviewed, sorry! But thank you for reviewing, and I really hope this kept your attention so far!

2) **mama rocks:** Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you're still reading and liking the story!

3) **Aviv b:** Thanks! I'm glad that I seem to be improving on the whole 'angsty' thing, considering I've been told before that I'm not very good at it.

4) **the darkness revealed:** Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

5) **doctor-who-fangirl:** Thank you! I'm glad I captured Ianto's character well, considering how worried I was that I was going to completely botch up the characters.

6) **captain-ally:** Ahh! Thank you! And, by the way, I've been reading one of your **Torchwood** stories (_The Crullest Choice_) and absolutely _adore_ it! I keep meaning to add it to my favorites list...

7) **katwinchester:** Glad you're enjoying it! Hope you like this chapter!

8) **mitziplz:** Your review made me giggle xD. Thank you very much, and I hope you like this chapter!

9)** Viva Para Amar:** Give you more? Well, here you go! And thank you very much for the review!!

**Anyway, enjoy chapter four!!**

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Chapter Four

Ianto liked to think that he could believe in a great deal of things. After all, the unexpected was always the expected in his line of work. Yet he found it rather hard to believe the words that came out of Jack's mouth as the entire team stood gathered in the room. _Fairies?_ He didn't think - believe, for that matter - that there was such a thing. It was the fantasy of children. It was utterly and completely stupid to believe in such a thing.

With this thought still in mind, he couldn't help a sarcastic comment as he set down Jack's coffee. "I blame it on magic mushrooms."

Ianto didn't miss the look Jack gave him, the man's blue eyes narrowed slightly. "What you do in your own time is none of our business." He blinked, but didn't dwell too much on the comment. For a moment Ianto had thought that their conversation from earlier had been forgotten, but apparently not if Jack was still sore about it. He leaned back against the wall of the room, listening with a blank face as the rest of the Torchwood team continued on with getting up-to-date on what Jack had found.

Once it was all finished and most of the team had disappeared to their stations, Ianto moved around to collect the empty coffee mugs, feeling a small bit of annoyance that they couldn't seem to do it for themselves. The Welshman stopped, however, when he felt a hold on his upper arm and turned slightly. A second later, he took a startled step back when Jack's face appeared an inch or so from his.

Bloody hell.

"We still need to talk, Ianto." Jack muttered, moving slightly back. "And I'd like if we could after this case. I want to clear things up, just so we're on the same page. It'll make things easier for everyone."

Before Ianto had a chance to respond, Tosh's voice floated up to them, announcing some sort of emergency. Funny weather patterns again.

* * *

Out of all the cases Torchwood 3 had been on since his time of joining them, Ianto could never recall a time when he'd been more happy to _not_ be directly involved. The entire case wasn't going over too well, and two deaths had been the result thus far. Apparently, one of them had been a close friend of Jack's, as the man had stormed through the Hub and then disappeared into his office a few moments later.

Ianto frowned, watching Jack disappear, then turned as Gwen walked in. She looked upset, biting her lower lip and settling down at her station. The Welshman paused for an instant, then started toward the dark haired woman. "Gwen?" He started softly, watching as she turned towards him, a small frown on her lips. "What's going on?"

"Did Jack ever mention an Estelle to you?"

A pause as he considered, a small crease between Ianto's eyes as he looked off into the distance for a moment. Estelle. After a moment, he gave a small nod. "Yes. Very briefly, though. It seemed like a rather sore topic, so I didn't push it." And, judging from Jack's expression at the time, it had been a slip up. After that entire thing, Jack didn't drink when they were alone together. "Why?"

"She's dead."

Ianto blinked, watching as Gwen's eyes filled with tears. He saw Owen shake his head, and had to stop himself from doing the same. They all knew Gwen wouldn't last long in Torchwood if she kept getting too emotionally attached to every case. The Welshman didn't say anything, however, merely gave a faint nod. "Ah." Then there was little wonder that Jack was so upset. From what Ianto had been able to read from the other man's tone at the time he'd said Estelle's name, the woman had been a very important person in his life. Frowning, Ianto quickly decided what he was going to do. "Excuse me." He muttered to Gwen, then turned and headed up towards Jack's office.

He wasn't quite sure why he was doing this - going to comfort the one man that he didn't want that sort of contact with. However, Ianto figured Jack would have done the same for him. He had, for a little, after Lisa had died. Not in the best manner, but at least the captain had tried to be there.

Steeling himself. Ianto slowly pushed the office door open and found Jack sitting at his chair behind the desk. There were tear tracks down the man's face, and he glanced up sharply when the door opened. A slight bit of tension left Jack's shoulders at the sight of Ianto, and he lifted his head a bit more, obviously trying to look completely relaxed and at peace despite the tears.

Ianto moved forward slowly, unsure of how Jack would take it. "Jack." He sat down at the edge of the desk, his eyes falling to stare with concern at his boss' slowly crumbling expression. The Welshman paused, then placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. A second later, he felt himself engulfed in something like a bear hug, shifting uncomfortably and then wrapping his arms slowly around Jack's waist as wetness seeped through his suit jacket. Pausing a second, Ianto rubbed a hand slowly up and down the older man's back, closing his eyes and fighting back the weird feeling that came with seeing the usual stoic Jack cry.

Opting for silence, Ianto offered what little comfort he could for Jack's grief, merely sitting there and holding the captain in a loose grip. After a minute or two, he felt Jack stiffen then withdraw from the grasp, straightening. His face was blank, the slightly familiar arrogant mask sliding back into place. Still, Jack tilted his head slightly in thanks. Ianto gave him a faint smile, then headed out of the office, more confused than he cared to admit.

He really needed to figure out if he liked Jack or not. All of the back and forth stuff was giving him a bloody headache.

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**As you can tell, reviews make me insanely happy. So please take a little bit of time and R&R!!**


	5. Author's Note

I've been feeling like hell since last Thursday and keep getting these horrible migraines every couple of hours (mainly during school 1st hour, 2nd hour, 4th hour, 5th hour and also a little bit after school ends), and sometimes it hurts for a long time because my idiotic school won't let us take medication, and I have to wait to stop feeling sick. Thanks to the stupid headaches, my neck starts to hurt and my entire body aches. I don't know why I'm feeling like this all of a sudden, but until it gets better, my updating with Time Heals might take longer than it did before. Ugh. Sorry...it will still be updated, though, I promise!


	6. Chapter 5

**Woo! Chapter five! This one actually might be a little longer than the rest of them, because it deals with the aftermath of "Small Worlds", Jack teaching Ianto how to properly handle a gun (mind out of the gutter, people!), and the beginning of "Countrycide".**

**the darkness revealed: **Thank you, glad you liked it! And, yeah, I'm planning on going through all the episodes, although I might skip some just so the story isn't like...five hundred chapters.

**Viva Para Amar: **Ah, really?! Great! I just find Jack kind of hard character to get into, he's so complicated.

**DarqueQueen7: **Thank you! Glad you like it so far.

**captain-ally: **Here's the update!

**Lady Finduilas: **Yeah, I wish they'd done something at the end of "Small Worlds" with Jack and Ianto, but I guesss that's too much to ask for.

**mitziplz: **Eee! Thank you!

**deeta: **Yeah, that's what I like about fanfic too, that people can have completely different takes on things.

**Isis2: **Thank you!

**Stossle: **Thank you!

**rosieposy: **Yeah, Ianto does need to figure out his feelings, haha.

**doctor-who-fangirl:** Glad you enjoyed chapter four, hope you like chapter five as well! And, also, yeah, my school is full of idiots. We can't have medication because it's considered a "drug". Ugh.

**Adrianna:** Thank you! I'm feeling much better, so hopefully it was only a couple of days headache thing. If that made any sense.

**specialfrancine: **Thanks, I'm feeling better, and here's the chapter, hope you like it!

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Chapter Five

From what Ianto could gather, the case Torchwood 3 had been on had gone from bad to worse as the others continued to investigate. By the end, the Welshman had to endure a sudden silence around the Hub as no one - not even Owen, who usually went out of his way to get his opinions heard - seemed to want to say anything to each other. He tried to ignore it, going about his duties of handing out coffee and taking care of Myfanwy, but eventually the silence got to be too much and Ianto found himself growing impatient with everything.

A week afterward, when Ianto was close to snapping as the tension gathered between the rest of the team, found himself walking into Jack's office with his regular cup of coffee. He placed it down on the other man's desk, then perched himself on the edge, crossing his arms and regarding his boss. The man was talking quietly into the phone, raising his eyes for a moment to catch a glimpse of Ianto before sighing and hanging the receiver up. "What do you want, Ianto?"

The Welshman was silent for a moment, eyes sweeping outside the room to make sure no one was around before they settled back on Jack. "What's gotten everyone into a foul mood, sir?"

Jack stared at him for a moment, then shook his head as he picked up the coffee and took a sip. The captain's shoulders relaxed, a small sigh slipping passed his lips. "It's nothing." Ianto gave him a look at this, but Jack merely shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it right now, Ianto." He set the mug down and crossed his arms, leaning back. "I want you and the rest of the team to report to the conference room in ten minutes." Standing then, Jack headed out of the room with his hands in his pockets, Ianto staring after him with a small, puzzled frown.

* * *

Ten minutes later found the entire team gathered in the conference room. Tosh and Owen looked in a better mood than they had over the week, but Gwen still had a look in her eyes that Ianto couldn't quite identify. He'd just opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong when Jack entered the room and moved to stand at the front. The captain's hands were once again in his pockets, and he had discarded his coat for the time being. Jack's eyes swept over them, and then he spoke. "Right, we've been offered a case in Brecon Beacons. A woman's gone missing, and apparently it looks like one of our cases."

Owen's eyes flicked to Ianto, who was seated and listening intently. "What's coffee boy doing here?"

"Ianto will be coming with, Owen." Jack gave a small nod to the Welshman, who blinked at the captain. Him. On a case. Ianto wasn't quite sure if he liked that idea or not. "We'll need all the people we can get."

"He doesn't even have any training, Jack."

"I'll be training him today while you guys do the research we need. We'll be leaving tomorrow, so I suggest you hurry up. Ianto, with me." Jack gestured at the Welshman, then quickly exited the conference room. The younger of the men stayed seated for a moment, blinking, then got up and followed after his boss with some hesitation. The idea of Jack training him didn't appeal too much to Ianto. He'd always been nervous around guns, and Ianto had the feeling he'd have a hell of a time trying to concentrate with the other man so near. He'd seen how Jack "trained" people - up close and far too personal in Ianto's opinion.

* * *

Hands settled on his shoulders, rotating Ianto's body easily and putting him in the correct position. Jack's grip wandered down, holding onto the Welshman's hand that held the gun and pulling it up to shoulder height. There was a pause as the captain's hands moved down once again to settle on both of Ianto's hips, and then his breath ghosted against the younger man's neck when Jack moved to speak. "Right. You've handled a gun before, right?"

"Uhh." It was hard - insanely hard - to concentrate when the American's intoxicating smell was so close, but Ianto fought through the haze. "Briefly. Torchwood One didn't...didn't think that I needed to intimately know how to handle a weapon." He took a deep breath, which proved to be a mistake as Jack's smell swarmed around him worse than ever, but Ianto was determined to ignore it. The Welshman listened half heartedly to what the older man was saying, and then discharged the weapon quickly, feeling his shoulder being forced back as the gun went off. Jack instructed him to do it again, and again, and again until the gun clicked on empty and Ianto laid it down on the table. As he did so, he made sure to step out of Jack's hold, his own hands moving to straighten the suit jacket.

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Jack gave a small sigh. "You can go, Ianto."

The Welshman turned to leave, but the next second forced himself toward Jack. He didn't know quite why, but he'd suddenly been grabbed by an intense need. Leaning forward, he pressed quick, hard kiss to Jack's lips, barely giving the other time to respond before Ianto headed quickly out the door, feeling his face heat up.

* * *

The next morning - which followed a night of Ianto trying to make sense of why the hell he'd kissed Jack when he'd told himself he wouldn't - found Ianto smashed uncomfortably between Tosh and Gwen. Owen was sitting up in front with Jack, his eyes focused out the window and taking in the rather dull and empty look of the countryside. When Ianto had taken the time to also look, he'd remembered - quite distinctly - exactly why he always made a point of never visiting the countryside. It was too abandoned and depressing, in his opinion.

Beside Jack, Owen gave a small huff, his eyes narrowing. "I hate the countryside. It's dirty, it's unhygienic. And...what is that smell?"

"That would be grass." Gwen replied in a bored sort of voice from beside Ianto, her eyes gazing ahead as she spoke. Ianto fought back a snort, looking out the window over Tosh's shoulder. He saw Owen turn around, pulling a face at Gwen.

"It's_ disgusting_."

* * *

To Ianto's utter bewilderment, Jack had pulled up by a rather creepy looking burger cart off to the side of the road (the countryside, honestly) and had made Ianto go get everyone a burger. With a small inner grimace and a soft sigh, he'd disappeared and came back, handing one out to Owen, Gwen, and Jack as he listened to the captain talk. "Seveteen disappearances within the last five months; the police are clueless."

"Well, there's a surprise - no offense PC Cooper." Owen grumbled, opening the burger.

"The last known whereabouts of each one is somewhere around here. None of the bodies have ever been found - these people just fell off the radar." Jack muttered, bent over a map and circling an area. The conversation went on for a while, but Ianto ignored it as he moved to open his own burger, his eyes flicking to look at Tosh.

He smiled a bit. "Sure you don't want anything, Tosh?"

"Really sure. A friend of mine caught hepatitis off a burger from one of these places."

Ianto blinked, then gagged slightly and quickly put his burger down. To quote Owen from earlier: _disgusting_.

* * *

**R&R please!! And I was thinking, because I was obsessively watching "The Producers" earlier...should I do a fanfic of "The Producers" _Torchwood_ style?  
**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter six! Long wait, I know, sorry. I just feel kind of intimidated by the number of people following this, so I'm trying to make it really, really good. So bare with me. It also doesn't help that I have exams tomorrow. Ick.**

**captain-ally: **Thank you once again! Sorry you had to wait so long for an update!**  
jack4ianto09: **Thanks! Hoping you're liking "The Producers: Torchwood Style" :D!!**  
specialfrancine:** Haha, yeah, I did kind of make poor Ianto suffer last chapter xD. I thought the idea of Jack training Ianto would be funny, so I couldn't help slipping it in.**  
the darkness revealed:** YAY! *Does little dance* Yeah, I'm excited to write more for the "Countrycide" episode - that one is just so good and extremely creepy.**  
narusaklover23 (hoping I spelled that right!):** I couldn't resist Jack if he was that close to me :P. Actually...I don't think I'd be able to resist him even if he wasn't that close, haha. And the smell being like a drug just kind of popped into my head after the little conversation between Jack and Ianto in _Fragments_ about "51st century pheromones".

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Six

"You even sound like a six year old! Seriously, who says snogging?"

Owen's voice snapped Ianto out of the daze he'd been in and he glanced up, entwining his fingers together. Next to him, Gwen merely gave the man a look and looked close to rolling her eyes. "C'mon, it'll be fun!" She insisted a second later, a grin on Gwen's lips as she looked at all of them. Ianto frowned, catching on.

A game about snogging. That wouldn't end too well. Ianto didn't want to picture the others faces if he or Jack told them they'd been snogging and doing more than even that. He honestly didn't think he could tolerate any bullying from Owen, who had been feeling incredibly cruel ever since the whole incident with Lisa. Shaking his head, Ianto forced his thoughts away from his dead girlfriend, instead watching the rest of the group closely.

With a huff, Owen agreed and sat down across from Gwen, fiddling with something he'd picked up. Ianto bit back a sigh, leaning back and looking at his hands as Gwen spoke. Her last snog had probably been Rhys, so it confused him, a little, why exactly Gwen wanted to play this game. He didn't speak, though, merely listening as the dark haired Welshwoman turned to look at the other woman next to her. "Tosh?"

"Owen."

Not a surprise. It was clear to everyone - except Owen, of course, who could be incredibly dense when he wanted to - that Tosh was just a little obsessed with the doctor. Ianto thought she was much too sweet and caring to be wasted on Owen, but had always decided it wasn't really his business to pry. Let Tosh like who she wanted, and maybe she'd find out that Owen really wasn't the kind of person for her. Hopefully, that would happen well before Owen managed to hurt her in some way.

They all went around, and then it landed on Jack.

"Do non-human life forms count?" The man grinned, the playful tone in his voice quite clear as he spoke, the mischievous glint in his eyes as always while the others pulled a face. Ianto frowned down at his shoes. Right. Well, if Jack didn't want to share that they'd kissed last, then there had to be a reason. He'd follow suit, then.

"It's my turn, is it?" Ianto muttered, looking up and searching his mind. Lisa. It would make sense to the others that she would be the last one he would have kissed. For all they knew, she'd been the only sort of relationship he'd ever had. "It was Lisa." He caught the sudden glare from Jack as the other man looked to the side, but dismissed it. Jack hadn't told, so why should he have? Besides, it wasn't as if Jack actually _cared_ about any sort of relationship they had.

Gwen was staring at him, looking shocked. "Ianto, I'm sorry..."

He forced a bitter smile, offering the most vindictive words he could in response and watched as Gwen and, to his surprise, Owen made their way quickly towards the woods. Ianto sighed, then risked a glance upwards and caught Jack glaring at him. The Welshman inwardly flinched at the anger he saw in the older man's gaze, letting his eyes drop to the ground again. Jack waited until Tosh left before speaking.

"What the hell was that, Ianto?"

He lifted his gaze again, letting it settle on the hostile look on his boss' face. "I assumed you didn't want it known. You didn't exactly share either, Jack." Ianto raised his shoulders in what he hoped was an I-don't-care sort of shrug, looking down again at the grass. He heard Jack move, obviously wanting to say something else before they heard footsteps. Ianto glanced up, spotting Tosh running back toward them.

Breathlessly, she stopped, looking worried. "Gwen and Owen have found a body."

* * *

Ianto wasn't one to find most of Jack's ideas stupid, but at that moment, he had to. The idea of splitting up after having the car disappear and discovering the town empty hadn't been on Ianto's list of Jack's smart ideas. Still, he'd kept quiet and now found himself walking alongside Tosh toward a rather depressing looking building. He walked toward the door, trying the handle and finding it wouldn't budge.

A second later, he felt himself tense and clench tightly at the doorknob as a scream ripped through the once peaceful quiet.

Tosh and he traded frowns, both raising their guns and heading toward the back. Ianto felt his hand shaking as he kept a firm grip on the gun, wishing to be anywhere but where he found himself. He glared his eyes against the sun, lowering the gun and trying the back door. Once more, nothing happened and he turned. Tosh startled him, and Ianto barely stopped himself from shooting before he started up toward the garden, eyes focused anywhere but at the bodies of the dead animals hanging all around the house.

He wasn't giving these people points for taste. Not at all.

Taking a deep breath, Ianto turned and froze.

Tosh. He couldn't see her.

"Tosh!" Ianto raised his voice, running down the hill. "Tosh! Where are you?" He raised the gun, whirling around blindly and stopping, his chest heaving. Taking in another deep breath, Ianto looked in front of himself, then felt something push him from behind. With a muffled yelp, he made hard impact with the ground. Turning to stare at what had pushed him, Ianto's last coherent thought was half hysterical.

_They're just people..._

_

* * *

_

**WOO! _Cliffhanger_...although not really, considering you've all seen the episode.**

**As always, be a dear and R&R so I know what you thought of the chapter!  
**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven! Possibly my favorite because I think this is the best chapter I've written so far. Anyway, comments to everyone's lovely reviews!**

**TeamBarrowman:** First off, I dig the username ;]. And, second, thank you! I'm glad you like the story so far! Yeah, there is so much to do with Jack, he's such a fun character, I think. With Ianto dying, yeahh, I think I died a little inside. And I hope you like "The Producers" Torchwood thing I'm doing! Let me know what you think!

**captain-ally:** Well, after this chapter, Jack and Ianto will definitely be talking. And thanks! I'm pretty sure I failed my stupid Chemistry exam, but everything else went pretty well. Good luck with your exams as well!

**Stossle:** Thank you! Also, yeah, I'm trying to get over somewhat "reviewing" the episodes and just inserting Ianto's thoughts. There's going to be a lot more of "fill in the blanks" chapters very soon (next chapter, for example).

**Bridget:**Yeahh, I do make Ianto kind of saddening, don't I? He'll cheer up soon, it's just that I don't think he was a really happy person in the first couple of episodes of _Torchwood_. He does get happier though!

**specialfrancine:** Thank you!

**the darkness revealed:** Thank you!

**2rats4writes:** Thank you!**  
**

* * *

Chapter Seven

Someone was shaking his shoulder, dragging Ianto back into the present. He groaned, a pain roaring through his head as his eyes narrowed. With some effort, Ianto pushed himself off the floor and reached a hand up. He brought the hand back down to look at it and saw blood staining the palm and running down his fingers. With a shudder, Ianto dropped his hand and looked up to see Tosh standing over him, looking concerned. "Where are we?" Ianto asked hoarsely, struggling to his feet and feeling the world spin for a moment or two.

"I've no idea." It was odd, but Tosh looked completely calm despite the situation. Ianto himself felt a bit on the hysterical side, but was trying to hide it as he looked around them. "It's a cellar of some kind, I think." Tosh looked at him now. "Did you catch sight of what talk us, Ianto?"

He tried to remember, but everything was too fuzzy. It was probably the blow he'd taken to the head that was screwing his memory. "No. I mean, I might've, but...I can't remember it if I did." A second later, Ianto felt himself forced down so Tosh could linger above him, her small hands inspecting his scalp, probing gently. "Ow!"

"Sorry!" Tosh apologized quickly, her voice a little panicky. "Ianto, that...that doesn't look too good." He'd gathered that much from the pain and the blood he'd had on his hands, but couldn't bring himself to point it out to Tosh. "Owen will have to check it over when they come here. Or when we get out."

Making a small noise, Ianto laid his head in his hands and gave a sigh. "Do we have our guns?"

"Afraid not. Whatever took us grabbed our guns when we were knocked out."

Feeling his panic start to grow, Ianto go back to his feet and looked out at the little source of light that they could see from the window. "Right. How do you suggest we get out of here?" He'd turned in time to catch sight of Tosh flicking her flashlight on. "I'm sure they have things guarding the place."

"I don't know, we'll figure something out."

* * *

It felt like they'd been down there for hours - days, even - until a woman had emerged from a doorway they hadn't seen. She looked filthy and completely scared, her eyes wide as her trembling hands held a gun. Tosh had tried to convince the woman to let them go, but they'd found themselves forced into a small room covered in weird white hangings. It was a complete mess, blood staining the room and a small kitchen set right in front of them. A man had stepped out, and then Tosh and Ianto were forced into the back.

He looked around in horror, taking in the cutting tools, a sick feeling flooding through his gut.

It was a butcher house.

* * *

Without saying much, not paying any attention to what the people in front of them had been saying, Ianto had quickly come up with a plan. It wasn't terribly well thought out, but Ianto was too determined to get Tosh out at least to honestly care. He shifted a bit, making sure his eyes connected with hers, trying to get her to understand. _Run. You have to run when I say so._

She'd given a tiny nod, stiffening when the man came up to her and started going on about something to do with tenderizing. Ianto choked down bile with difficulty, his bound hands tightening into fists behind his back as the man approached him. He forced a bitter smile, then brought his head back and rammed it hard into the other man's skull. Ianto heard a satisfying _crack_, felt pain roar in his temples, and yelled "Tosh! _Run!_"

Tosh did as he instructed, running as fast as she could with her hands bound behind her back. He watched her go, then gave a startled cry when something smacked into his legs and forced him to his knees, eyes watering in pain. The man stepped over him, tearing out after Tosh with loud, thundering footsteps. Ianto squirmed on the floor, feeling jolts of intense pain shoot up and down his back, felt tears start to course down his face.

A gag - a horrid smelling towel - was forced into his mouth and tied tightly around the back of his head. The material rubbed against his already bleeding skull and Ianto couldn't help the wail that slipped passed his throat, muffled by the filthy gag. He heard the cackle above him - the woman who had deceived them.

Ianto shifted on his side as he best he could and saw her leering down at him madly, a bat of some sort in one of the woman's hands. "Letting your friend escape was a mistake on your half, boy." She informed him, the manic grin still in place. Then the bat made hard contact with his side and Ianto yelled, trying to squirm away as it came down next on his legs, his back. It was _everywhere_ and he couldn't get away.

He choked on his sobs as the bat came down again and again, finally letting up after what felt like years. Ianto moaned, his eyes closing as the woman took something out from somewhere in one of the cupboards. He opened his eyes back up just in time to see she had some bag in her hand before it was suddenly thrust over his head and cinched tightly around his throat.

A second later, he was dragged somewhere, still screaming through a sore throat, and deposited. He heard the woman's footsteps leave, his breathing ragged and his eyes still in shadow due to the bag. A second later, Ianto's eyes slid shut and he sagged more against the floor, too weak to do anything else.

* * *

**And, I am actually amazing pleased with this chapter :D! Hope all of you do too!**

**As always, R&R please!  
**


	9. Chapter 8

**This chapter is good, and yet not, mainly because I finished typing it at 2:30 in the morning. Gahh. Anyway, replies to reviews:**

**bbmcowgirl:** Thank you! Hope you like this chapter as well.

**Viva Para Amar: **I'm glad xD! Oh, and happy belated birthday!**  
**

**EgyptianPrincess92: **Thanks!**  
**

**Veronica Elise:** Thank you! Yeah, I had fun writing the Jack/Ianto gun training session. And exams actually did go surprisingly well...

**captain-ally:** Thanks!

**specialfrancine:** Thank you! I loved "Countrycide" too, but I think they put Ianto through a bit much in that episode.

**Andine: **After I wrote Chapter Seven, I realized that I was missing the fridge scene...**  
**

**Stossle: **First, when I read the "that was terrible", I winced. No joke. I was like "OH NO, WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!" My heart stopped xD. But, yeah, we are all kind of mean to Ianto, but, like you said, he does get Jack.**  
**

**RhianaStar:** Thanks!

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Eight

Ianto didn't know how long he sat there in the silence, the bag heavy against his face as he tried to wheeze some air through it to his lungs. His world was spinning, his eyes closed and his head throbbing, when he felt himself tugged against a hard, cold body and some sort of metal was pressed into his throat. A second later, the bag was tugged off his head and Ianto was blinded for a moment by light slamming directly into his eyes. He tried to ignore it, tried to block everything out, but a sudden hard tap to the face made him moan and jerk to awareness, the blade pressing more against his skin. Choking on another sob, Ianto spotted Tosh, Gwen, and Owen all standing in the room. They were staring at him, but he was having too much trouble focusing to really understand what was going on.

All that registered was the blade digging into his neck and the rumble of a voice above him. He gave a little whimper, eyes screwing shut, and then a loud bang made the man who'd been holding him throw Ianto carelessly to the side. The Welshman fought back a grunt of agony, hearing the splintering of wood and then the unmistakable sound of gun fire and yelling. He laid there listening, useless to help or to get up and see what was going on. Ianto focused on the pain instead, biting his lower lip harshly between his teeth and flinching as pain soared up and down his body.

A second later - or, at least, it felt like a second - someone had clambered over toward him and was shaking him slightly. "Ianto? Yan. Ianto!" Another shake and he couldn't help a loud groan to escape, muffled by the cloth in his mouth. There was a relieved sigh, and then a hand combed slowly through his hair, barely brushing against the wound on his head. The voice spoke again, and Ianto fought to remember where he'd heard it before. Everything was slipping away; the pain becoming too much. "Owen. You need to have a look at him." The ground shifted beneath him, and Ianto realized dully that someone was carrying him. He was too tired to fight or ask what was happening, instead, Ianto let his head fall against the chest of whoever it was that had a hold of him, the world fading to black as he felt himself set back down.

* * *

"Ianto?" It was that voice again, but now Ianto could put it with a name and a face. Jack. "Ianto, wake up." There was a light tap to his face and Ianto reluctantly blinked his eyes open to find himself nose to nose with the older man. A relieved look shot through Jack's eyes as he took in the Welshman's appearance. "Hey." His voice was gentle, different than Ianto was used to hearing. "You took a pretty bad beating. How are you feeling?" Jack had reached up a hand, but withdrew it after a moment, instead curling it around Ianto's forearm and squeezing lightly.

The Welshman couldn't bring it in himself to tell Jack that the small squeeze had hurt like hell. "I feel -"

"Don't say fine."

"Like hell, then." Ianto shifted, a startled breath escaping him at the sudden sharp pain that roared throughout his entire body at the small movement. "Jack." He paused, his eyes settling on the captain's. "Where am I?"

Jack lifted his shoulders in a shrug, sitting down on the bed that Ianto realized he was laying in. "Your apartment. Owen thinks it's a good idea to put you on house arrest for a while - bed arrest, actually. He said you're not allowed to move from here until he can make sure you're completely healed." The captain gave Ianto a playful smirk, raising one eyebrow. "He's assigned me as your one and only caretaker. Hope you don't mind." His tone told Ianto he wouldn't have much of a say in the matter anyway.

The Welshman didn't say anything for a moment, trying to raise up on his elbows but giving it up as a bad job soon after the attempt. "Completely healed?" His brain felt too fuzzy and groggy to bring up any memories of what could have happened, and Ianto found himself staring blankly at Jack. "What happened? What did you do with - with _them_?"

"You don't remember a lot of that night?"

"It's all just a sort of...blur."

Jack was frowning, his eyes concerned for a moment before a small sigh escaped the American's lips. "Owen said it might be like that for a while. And I'm not supposed to get you too excited or upset, so I guess it'll just have to wait until you're feeling better." Now his hand moved up, cupping Ianto's cheek for a moment as his thumb ran gently over the skin. "You scared the hell out of me, do you know that? You've been out of it for the past couple of days." Jack continued to stare at him for a little bit longer before he removed his hand. "Hungry?"

The thought of food made Ianto feel oddly ill, and a shudder swept down his frame. "No. Not right now."

* * *

_They were chasing him, gaining quickly with cackles of manic glee as they waved the bats around in their hands. One of the bats slammed into the back of his legs, knocking Ianto over so that he fell hard into the mud with a cry of pain. They were all on him then, their eyes burning with fire and their faces and grins cold and empty. Ianto screamed, tears streaming down his face as he tried to crawl away, each attempt to do so stopped as the bats rained down on him, never letting up..._

"Ianto! Yan!" Hands were wrapped tightly around his shoulders, moving up to grab at his face in an obvious attempt to get his attention. He struggled, still crying, still screaming, fearing for his life. A second later, the grip tightened a little bit. "Yan. It's me. Jack. C'mon...wake up. You're safe now. You don't need to be scared."

He inhaled sharply, coming back to consciousness with a gasp and a wince. Jack stood just above him, his face contorted in grief and worry, his hands still on Ianto's face. "J - Jack?" Ianto felt a flash of embarrassment, realizing his face was wet and that he was still crying. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -"

"Don't apologize." Jack's voice was rough, his eyes dark before he shook himself and seemed to come out of some thought. His thumbs brushed once more over Ianto's cheeks before they dropped his hands. The captain took a deep breath, his eyes closing for a moment. "Are you in pain?"

"Kind of."

"Right." Jack stood up, disappearing into Ianto's bathroom before coming back with a glass of water from the sink in the bathroom and a tube of some sort of pill. He sat down, putting the glass and tube onto Ianto's bedside table. The captain then took Ianto's upper arms in his hands, shifting him up gently to lean him against the headboard. The water was given to him, then two pills were placed in the palm of his hand. "Take those. You'll feel better."

Ianto swallowed, staring down at the pills, feeling a pain ripping through his entire body. "Jack, what happened? I need to know..."

"It's late, Ianto. Please." They stared at each other, and then Ianto swallowed the pills and drank the water, setting it back down where Jack had placed it before. He let the older man shift him down onto the bed, not protesting when Jack climbed into the bed with him and draped a careful arm around his waist.

Maybe he'd keep the nightmares at bay.

* * *

**As always, I'll love you if you review!**


	10. Chapter 9

**WOO! Chapter nine! Nothing exciting happens, but I had fun writing this chapter...**

**Veronica Elise:** *SQUEE* Yay! I'm honored that this is starting to be one of your fav fics at the moment :D! Hope you like this chapter!

**bbmcowgirl: **Thanks! Yeah, I think I wouldn't mind going through some pain if I got Jack as my caregiver.**  
**

**Stossle:** Ah, no, it's fine! I just tend to read reviews around midnight when I'm dead tired, so my reactions to them tend to be a little on the dramatic side.

**the darkness revealed:** Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it :].

**EgyptianPrincess92:** Thank you!

**RandomScribblesOfACrazyPerson:** Thank you! Like the username, by the way :P.

**Phoenixclara:** Glad you're loving the story so far!

**specialfrancine:** Thank you!

**captain-ally:** Janto is amazing xD. Glad you loved the last chapter, hope you like this one too :]!

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter Nine

The next morning started with Ianto coming back to the world slowly, shifting a bit on the bed as he woke up and startling when he felt a body pressed against his own. Memories from the previous night rushed to the surface after a moment and he shifted a bit to see Jack looking right back at him. The captain was wide awake and raised an eyebrow when Ianto caught his gaze as Jack shifted up on the bed more to look down at Ianto. It was silent for a moment as they regarded each other, then Jack's lips quirked up into a small smile. "You hungry at all, Ianto? You didn't eat anything yesterday." He noticed when Ianto made to sit up and Jack's hands were instantly underneath the younger man's, lifting him up as the captain waited for a response.

Ianto was hungry, even though the thought of food made him sick to his stomach still. "I am." He said quietly after a moment, staring down at his hands. "I don't know if I can stomach food right now, Jack." The Welshman glanced up to catch the understanding look in the older man's eyes.

"You'll have to eat sometime, Ianto. Sooner is probably better than later, you know." The next second, Ianto felt himself hauled to his feet by Jack's hold on his arms. This proved to be a mistake as he swayed and nearly fell over but instead fell into his boss who had moved quickly to grab a hold of him. Jack's arm slid around the younger man's waist, tugging him up to lean more against the captain. "We'll start you on something simple at first. Do you have cereal or something?" A snort sounded from Ianto, and he glanced up at Jack, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't had cereal since childhood. The captain caught the look and gave a slight grin. "Of course you wouldn't. Well...is there anything you actually _want_ to eat?"

The Welshman pulled a face, mentally going through a list of everything he kept stocked in the small kitchen area. "Half the things that I want I don't trust you to make, Jack." His lips tugged up into a reluctant smile at the affronted look on his boss' face. "The times I actually was brave enough to try eating your cooking, I regretted it." And he'd thrown up on more than one occassion, too.

Now Jack had a definite pout on his face. "You always gave the impression that you liked my food."

"Then I must be an excellent liar." The small smile widened a bit as the older man fixed him with a glare. "Eggs, by the way."

"What? You trust me to make you eggs?" There was sarcasm in the older man's voice now.

"Oh, don't sulk." Ianto couldn't help a laugh as Jack helped him sit in one of the kitchen chairs. "It really doesn't suit you." That slipped out before Ianto could stop it, and he tilted his head at the sudden amused look on Jack's face. Surprisingly, Jack didn't say anything, but moved toward the refrigerator and got out the eggs. Ianto watched him move around, shifting and trying to ignore the pain as he worried on his lower lip. "Jack."

"Yeah?"

There was a pause as Ianto hesitated, worrying on his lower lip worse. "I...can you tell me what happened to those - those things?" He couldn't call the cannibals people. Not after what he'd seen. "Please. I _need_ to know."

Jack was staring at him, a small crease between his eyebrows. "Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..._why_ do you need to know, Ianto? It's over. Finished."

The Welshman stared at his boss for a second, his lips parted as he thought it over. He wasn't really sure why, but he _needed_ to know. It had been bothering him ever since Ianto had woken up. "I just do." Ianto laid his hands down on the table, entwining his fingers together, making pain shoot up from his arms to his shoulders. He barely fought back a wince as he held eye contact with his boss, who placed the eggs down in front of him and then sat down on the chair across from the younger man.

Finally, Jack gave a small sigh. "Fine. Alright. The ones who survived are currently in custody of the police." He'd caught Ianto's raised eyebrow and confused expression, and went on to explain. "I shot most of them, but some managed to survive." There was a bitter, angry edge to the captain's voice when he said this.

"Who survived?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

Jack gave another sigh, a crease appearing between his eyebrows for a second as he held eye contact with Ianto for another minute or two. "A man who appeared to be the leader and a couple of others who didn't seem to be nearly as dangerous." He leaned back, crossing his arms as Ianto fought back a shudder, recalling the man with the bat. The man who had been plagued the Welshman's dreams the entire night. "Satisfied?"

The younger man glanced up and gave a faint nod, letting his gaze drop back to the plate and trying not to think of the villagers. Ianto concentrated on the eggs instead, lifting up his fork and giving the yoke a tentative poke. Nothing seemed wrong, so he sliced a bit off and put it in his mouth, chewing for a moment. A second later, Ianto had to fight back a gag as he quickly pushed the plate away. "Jack?"

"Mm?"

"...These eggs are _horrible_." Jack glared at him once the words left the Welshman's lips, and Ianto couldn't help the grin that slipped onto his face.

* * *

**R&R please!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten :D. Sorry, it's kind of short :/. Next chapter will be much longer, I promise!**

**captain-ally: **Fluffy Jantoness is definitely love :].**  
**

**TeamBarrowman: **Thank you!**  
**

**specialfrancine:** Thank you!

**ForestSprite: **Yeah, I do kind of get annoyed when people make Jack seem all powerful. He's still human, so he has to have at least _some_ flaws.**  
**

**the darkness revealed: **Thank you!

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Ten

Jack was watching him as he turned on the coffee machine in the Hub, the tension leaving his shoulders as the familiar sound gurgled from the machine. Ianto heard Jack chuckle, but ignored it as he set about getting the cups of coffee ready for everyone, only faintly aware now that Jack had moved slightly closer and was watching his movements. Neither spoke until Ianto placed down the completed coffees and loaded them onto the plate and turned to catch Jack's grin. "Glad to be back?"

"Yes, sir." It was easy to fall into the old routine of viewing Jack as just his boss, although Ianto missed, briefly, how they'd been the days that neither had to work. He smiled though, and offered the coffee to Jack. "Do you expect any trouble today?" The Welshman waited as the captain took a sip of the coffee, a relaxed and pleasant grin settling across the American's features.

The older man gave a faint shake of the head, holding the coffee mug between his hands. "No, I don't think so. Or at least I hope not. We all need time to get our heads together after the last case. Speaking of the last case," Jack's eyes fell on Ianto, who felt his face flush, recalling the kiss he'd given Jack before they'd left to Breacon Beacons. He knew that was what Jack wanted to talk about. They'd discussed everything other than that. Without warning, Ianto suddenly felt himself pinned to the countertop of the kitchen, swallowing as Jack's face was inches from him. "Did you actually mean that kiss?"

They regarded each other for a second, then Ianto gave a brief smile. "I don't just randomly kiss people, sir." He felt his face flush again and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Jack, the others are going to be coming in soon. This really isn't the time or place -"

Jack smirked, his shoulders lifting in a shrug. "Owen's always late, and it's not like he's suddenly going to change his routine. Gwen always arrives at nine - it's eight thirty right now - and Tosh comes in a little while later. I think we're fine, Ianto." He was looking at the Welshman with an almost predatory look in his eyes, shifting so that their lips were inches apart.

"I really -" Ianto was silenced as Jack suddenly crashed their lips together, the kiss rough and heavy. He had to fight back a moan, finding himself missing the feel of Jack's lips against his. His own lips parted slightly when Jack's tongue ran along his lower lip. The younger man moved to surrender quickly to the kiss, but jerked away and straightened his suit jacket when the Hub doors started to open.

Gwen walked through, sweeping her black hair behind her. She gave them both a smile, directed more at Jack, and Ianto felt a burning, annoyed feeling in his stomach. He blinked, then quickly brushed it aside and held out a cup toward the Welshwoman. "Coffee?"

* * *

**R&R, please and thank you :]!**


	12. Chapter 11

**UPDATEEEE :D.**

**Stossle:** Yes, yes, it was a very hot kiss xD. There will be more soon :].

**Cris Jones:** I like the fluffy moments, because I'm a sap, aha. I might actually up the rating on this to "M" just to have more personal, intimate moments with Jack and Ianto, but I don't know. I feel like I'd do it wrong...

**the darkness revealed:** Gwen is rather annoying :P.

**ciocia:** Glad you liked it!

**TeamBarrowman:** I wish! If I knew where to buy my own Ianto, I'd be the happiest person on the planet xD.

**specialfrancine:** Thank you!

**captain-ally:** I actually warmed up a little to Gwen after the third season, but I still dislike her. But, like you said, she did give us Rhys and Andy, so that's something!

**gurugirl:** Thank you! Yes, Ianto is very good at denying his jealousy :P.**  
**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Gwen took the coffee with a smile and a nod of thanks, her eyes still fixed on Jack. Ianto fought back the irritation at this, all the while ignoring the voice in his head that was chanting _you're jealous _over and over again. Instead, the Welshman gave a sigh and moved to grab up the tray holding Owen and Tosh's cups. He shifted it, then moved around the Hub, placing each cup down on their stations before moving back to the kitchen. Gwen had, thankfully, disappeared. The Welshman let himself relax, tensing a minute later when he saw Jack still stood by the coffee machine. The captain's lips were tugged into a smirk of amusement as his bright sea blue eyes - _when the hell have I started noticing what color Jack's eyes are? _- took in the slightly disgruntled look on the younger man's face.

"Yan." Jack sounded much too smug for Ianto, who turned to flip off the coffee machine and glare at it as he swept the coffee bag out of the top and dumped it into the trash. "I think you're jealous."

"Of course I'm not." Ianto shifted around to face the American, crossing his arms. "Why why I be jealous?" He busied himself with cleaning off the counter so he wouldn't have to look at the smug look on Jack's face again. Ianto felt the other man move up and press against him, his head appearing on the Welshman's shoulder after a moment, that infuriating grin in place again.

He tried to ignore the captain and the way the American's arms slid around his waist, but couldn't hold back a soft, content smile.

_Take that, Gwen._

* * *

They'd had to separate quickly when Owen came through the Hub doors, looking his usual irritable self. Ianto was surprised he was earlier than Tosh, but decided it wasn't that odd. Everyone had off days, so he figured Tosh was just having one herself. Shaking his head, he turned to look back at the coffee machine, debating making one himself, his lips pursed for a moment.

"Oi! Coffee boy!" Owen strode into view, lifting up the cup of now cold coffee and glaring at Ianto. The Welshman merely raised an eyebrow, then took the coffee from the irate doctor. He watched as Owen swept out again before dumping the hour old coffee and refilling the machine.

Ianto leaned against the counter, giving a soft, annoyed sigh. It was irritating, but sometimes it felt like this was all he did. It was kind of like being a nanny, without all the perks of living in a house he didn't have to pay for. The Welshman watched the cup fill up and grabbed it, moving to the autopsy room to hand it to Owen, only getting a grunt instead of a thank you.

* * *

The next day was slightly hectic, as the rest of the team brought in some kind of alien artifact that Jack had been staring at intently. It was almost like he was trying to figure out some sort of puzzle. Ianto didn't really understand since it just looked like a big sort of claw to him, but then, Jack knew more about the stuff, so he left him to it.

It was another day of standing at the counter, waiting for the coffee and staring restlessly at the cabinet door. The sound of the Hub doors opening announced Tosh's arrival, and he watched as she strode to her desk. She was fiddling with something around her neck - a necklace of some sort - and had an awkward sort of look on her face. He had the feeling he was the only one who noticed, as Gwen was typing away at her computer, staring intently at the screen.

Deciding it really wasn't his business, Ianto moved to hand Tosh the drink. She blinked, giving him an odd look that was rather hard to decipher. "Can I get you anything else, Tosh?"

She seemed to jerk out of her thoughts. "I - I'm fine, Ianto."

The Welshman caught the slightly strangled quality to her voice, and gave her a quick smile in the hopes it would cheer her up. He moved away again, heading up the stairs toward where Jack was still staring hard at the thing on the table. It was caked in dirt, and looked to be rusting.

"Have you figured out what it is yet?" Ianto asked as he moved into the room and handing Jack his usual coffee cup.

Jack shrugged. "I might."

"It looks like a big claw to me." Ianto muttered, more to add to the conversation than anything.

The American gave a chuckle as he brought the coffee cup to his lips. "It's a ship of some sort. I just don't know what type yet."

* * *

**R&R please and thank you!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter twelve is uppp!**

**Gurugirl: **Thank you!**  
**

**captain-ally:** Thank you! Yes, Tosh will tell Jack what she heard :]. There's going to be a lot of Jack/Ianto moments in the next chapter and you'll see more interaction with Tosh.

**TeamBarrowman:** Yeah, Tosh was a bit of an idiot in that episode :/. If that happened to me, I probably would've asked Jack if he knew about the thing before going "Ooh! A necklace from a completely random stranger, let's try it on and see what it does!"

**ThatsHarrassmentSir: **Thank you!**  
**

**specialfrancine:** Thank you!

**deemama66:** xD Jack was kind of an idiot before the second season. Typical guy :P.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

"A ship?" Ianto raised an eyebrow, staring at the thing with a small frown. One hand moved up to fiddle with his tie as he spoke. "That doesn't look like any spaceship I've ever seen, Jack." He settled the hand into a pocket, his eyes on the captain's face as he spoke, eyebrow still raised.

Jack gave him a smile, taking another sip from the cup. "That's because it's alien, Ianto."

"Right." The Welshman's gaze had flicked over to where Tosh was still sitting, her face growing more and more uncomfortable as time went by. "Does Tosh seem like she's acting funny to you?"

The American glanced up from where he'd been frowning at the claw ship, looking out at where Ianto was. "No, but I haven't really been around her today to judge well enough." Without warning, Ianto felt arms around his waist that jerked him back against Jack. "So, since everyone's busy..." His head was tilted back, lips just slightly away from Jack's. "We could continue from where we left off yesterday..."

The younger man was tempted - so tempted - to give in, but he forced himself to shake his head and pull slightly away. "No, Jack. Not when we're working." Ianto didn't completely pull away from Jack's hold however, relaxing in it happily for as long as he could. It always felt safe around Jack for some reason. He caught the almost pout on Jack's lips. "You know I don't like to mix business and pleasure, Jack."

"Then you're missing the thrill." The captain gave him a teasing smile, his chin now resting on Ianto's shoulder.

"What thrill?"

"Of being caught."

Ianto gave him a look, gently peeling Jack's arms away from his waist and straightening back up. "No. Later."

* * *

As the days went on, Tosh's behavior kept getting more bizarre. There were times she looked insanely happy - and properly shagged - and other times she was quiet and withdrawn. Ianto watched her warily through the entire thing, making sure to give Tosh extra coffee in an effort to cheer her up, ignoring the irritated complaints from Owen about the Japanese woman getting special treatment.

The rest of the time, Ianto went into the room with the ship, where Jack spent most of the hours. The Rift had been silent, thankfully, so they could all concentrate on what the case and not get distracted. That meant Jack obsessing over the ship. Ianto didn't think it was very healthy, but he didn't comment.

Days passed, and Ianto steadily found himself growing bored. That, to his knowledge, was very rare in his line of business. The third day when he walked in however and caught the delighted - slightly disturbed - look on Jack's face, Ianto had the feeling that was about to end. "You've found out what it is?" He asked, tilting his head a little to the side.

Jack grinned brightly at him. "Yes, I believe I have. And," The American gestured out toward where Tosh, Owen, and Gwen were gathered. Owen and Gwen were talking - not a shock, anymore - and Tosh was bent over her computer, biting her lower lip. "I think I've found out what's bothering Tosh."

* * *

**I'm thinking of upping the rating to "M", let me know.**

**Anddd, R&R please!  
**


	14. Chapter 13

**Holy friggin' crap, sorry it took so long to get this up!**

**Anyway, yes, I will be boosting the rating :]. Not for this chapter, but for later ones. Also, I'm not entirely sure that I'm happy with most of this chapter. I felt like it jumped around a lot and I didn't properly catch things, but...eh. I think it might just be because I didn't really like the episode "Greeks Bearing Gifts". I also changed the POV for the first part of this chapter, focusing on Tosh for a little bit - not showing her emotions, but telling Jack about what she heard from Ianto.**

**Next chapter will be much better, and won't have a focus on an episode, just on Jack and Ianto :].**

**Review replies!**

**Sushi Chi:** Thank you very much :D!

**Stossle:** First, thank you! And, second, yeahh, I don't feel like I covered the "Greeks Bearing Gifts" episode very well :/. I realized that I didn't make Ianto's reaction and thoughts mix together very well after writing this and rewatching the episode, _but_ I think Mary said that people don't always realize when they're thinking something. So maybe Ianto is generally not happy but convincing himself and others that he is? If that made any sense whatsoever...

**gurugirl:** Thanks! Yeah, I'm upping the rating, but if I don't feel suitable writing "M" rated stuff, I'll probably rewrite the chapter with "M" material and switch the story back to "T"...

**whatawaste:** WOO! YAY! Thank you :D. Jack is really hard to write O_O. I'm completely scared that I'm going to utterly screw him up at one point in this story.

**TeamBarrowman:** Thank you :D!

**specialfrancine:** Yeah, I do feel bad for Tosh :[. Although she did somewhat bring it on herself. And thank you for reviewing once more :D!

**jack4ianto09:** Thankee!

**deemama66:** Yep, that was Ianto's line :]. I didn't really like "Greeks Bearing Gifts", so I don't feel like I did the entire thing properly :/.**  
**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Tosh stared down at the smashed necklace - that cursed, stupid thing that had nearly destroyed them all - barely paying attention as Jack started to walk away. She stood suddenly, biting her lower lip and sweeping her dark hair behind her shoulder. "Jack!" Running slightly, Tosh caught up with him and grabbed the captain's arm, effectively stopping him. "There's something I need to tell you about. It's to do with Ianto."

She saw his face slide into an expression of worry. "What is it?"

"I heard him, when - when I had that thing on. It - He's still miserable over Lisa, Jack." Tosh saw her boss' jaw clench at the name, an irritated flash going through his eyes. That only confirmed her suspicion - Jack and Ianto were seeing each other, then. "The things he was thinking...he sounded so miserable. Like he thought...all I could get off him was a sense of pain. It was, so, I don't even know, but it worried me."

Jack's shoulders stiffened, and he shrugged. "He seems perfectly fine to me."

"I know, I thought so too." Tosh bit her lip again, worrying it between her teeth. "But Mary -" She faltered, closing her eyes for a moment. "Mary told me that people don't always realize what they're thinking. That it's more of an unconscious thing, I suppose. Maybe Ianto's only convincing himself - and us - that he's better when he's really miserable." Her eyes flicked up to Jack's face, watching the irritated look vanish. "You have to talk to him. It seems like you're the only one Ianto honestly listens to."

The captain paused, then released a small sigh. "I'll talk to him, Tosh, don't worry." His hand clapped her on the shoulder, squeezing for a moment before dropping. "Now go home and try to get some rest. I'll see you at the Hub tomorrow." Jack turned and walked quickly away, his coat flying behind him.

* * * *

The coffee cup sat in front of him, steam rising from its depths as Ianto stared down at it. He blinked, feeling a tear start to develop in the corners of his eyes. It was stupid, completely stupid, but Tosh and Mary - if that had even been her name, which he doubted - had brought back how he'd felt about Lisa in an instant. Ianto had seen Tosh's face when Jack had activated the ship, seen the complete devastation that he'd seen in the mirror every time he'd looked into it weeks after Lisa had died.

And then he'd had the damn nerve to just forget about mourning her, all because Jack bloody Harkness had inserted himself more firmly in Ianto's life.

He pushed the coffee cup away, standing quickly and grabbing it again, only to dump the coffee down the sink. Ianto watched the drink swirl down into the drain, his hands gripping the cup even more tightly. A second or two later, a knock on the door startled him to awareness and Ianto set the cup down. He took a deep, steadying breath, and then started toward the door. Ianto opened it, finding himself face-to-face with none other than Jack. A smile was forced, and Ianto let his boss in quickly. He noticed almost instantly that something was wrong - Jack didn't have his usual cocky grin in place. "How's Tosh?" Ianto asked quietly, putting his problems aside like he usually did, preferring to deal with the other teammates issues than his own.

"She'll be fine."

"How is she _now_, Jack. Not in future tense."

"She could be worse." Jack plopped down, making himself comfortable instantly and tapping the couch cushion beside him, obviously expecting Ianto to sit down beside him. The Welshman stepped forward, seating himself and staring down at his hands. "She told me something interesting while we talked."

Ianto raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the captain. "Something to do with Mary?"

"No. Something to do with you, actually."

"_Me_?"

"Yeah." Jack leaned forward, almost instantly invading Ianto's personal space. Without any real conscious thought about it, Ianto shuffled back more in his seat. "Tosh told me that you're apparently still mourning Lisa. That you feel...well, she described it like all you could think about was pain. Almost as if that was all you were." The captain leaned even closer until their eyes connected, the older man's narrowing. "Our thoughts don't lie, you know. Not about what we're feeling."

Ianto stared at him for a moment, shaking a little. "Sometimes that's how I feel. I'll go back to thinking about Lisa, and I'll just...I'll feel so alone, and it's all I can do to not think about how painful it is. She understood me, she was always there for me when things got out of hand. Whenever I couldn't handle you lot, I could go down there and she'd listen. And even before all this, she was - she was so wonderful. And I just...I miss her."

"You've got me and the entire team, Ianto." Jack's hand reached out, skimming down Ianto's cheek and moving to cup the side of his face. "We're all here for you - whenever you need to talk." He seemed to debate on saying something else, but stopped. "You aren't alone. You never will be, alright?" He didn't drop his hand from cupping the Welshman's face, who felt himself leaning a little into the touch, trying to force aside the thought that it was wrong - that everything he'd done with Jack since Lisa had been wrong. That he was disrespecting her memory.

Forcing aside the thoughts that he hadn't had in months.

"I'll take your word for it." Ianto forced a smile, taking a deep breath.

"And are you still mourning...Lisa?" It seemed like an effort for Jack to get her name out. "Not just missing the memory of her?"

At that, Ianto shuddered and was horrified to hear a whimper slide passed his lips. "I wasn't. Not properly. But - after seeing Tosh with Mary. Seeing how horrified Tosh looked when you sent Mary away..." A sob choked its way up his throat. "It all came flooding back. I - I never mourned her like I should have. Like I _should_ be mourning. Almost right after - after everything that happened with her - almost right away I was with you. And I just forgot to mourn her, Jack! I just _forgot!_" He felt Jack's hand tighten around his cheek, and then move down to cup the back of his neck. "God, what the hell is wrong with me?"

A second later, he was pulled forward, his face pressing against Jack's chest. "There's nothing wrong with you." A hand threaded its way through the Welshman's hair, soothing Ianto just the tiniest bit. "Deep down you knew that wasn't your Lisa anymore. You stayed with her because you felt obligated to stay with the thing that looked like your girlfriend. Your mourned her real death a long time ago." Jack's free hand started to rub at Ianto's back, the words being whispered softly into his ear.

They stayed like that for a while, Ianto's face buried against Jack's chest, his body shuddering with sobs. Eventually, he quieted and felt Jack shift, then pick him up easily. They stared at each other as Jack carried Ianto to his bedroom, laying him down and sweeping a hand through his hair. "Get some sleep." He made to leave, but was stopped when Ianto reached out, snagging his shirt sleeve.

"Stay. Please."

Again, the men's eyes connected, and then Jack gave a faint nod. "Alright. I will."

* * *

**R&R please and thank you :D!**


	15. Author's Note 2

**Author's Note:**

I know, I know - second bad author's note. I apologize ahead of time. I don't know how soon "Time Heals" is going to be updated, because this week I've been in a really bad, really depressed mood. A lot of it is due to the fact that I was accepted into the college I really wanted to go to, but I can't because we don't have the financial side of things for me to go and I have to attend what I consider a poorer college instead, and I've been arguing with my parents all week about it, and we'll probably continue to argue (oh joy). I probably won't be able to write for a while, because when I get into these moods my writing usually sucks, and I get frustrated easily. Sorry.


	16. Still here!

**WHOOPS! AUTHOR NOTE :P:**

Holy crap, I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get this story back up and running! Family drama and whatnot :]. The next chapter will be up by **Monday or Tuesday**, promise! And thank you to all of you reviewers who gave me words of encouragement about the whole college thing! Just wanted to let you all know that Time Heals is still alive, the author just got lazy and watched re-runs of Doctor Who and forgot to work on this xD.


	17. Chapter 14

**Chapter fourteen, finally! Short, I know, sorry, but enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Once more, Ianto came to consciousness with Jack's arm wrapped around his waist and the American's face pressed between his shoulder blades. Ianto stayed still, wanting to feel a few moments of peace before the world managed to ruin everything again. He felt Jack shift behind him, arm curling even more around his waist and pressing Ianto's back more against the captain's chest. A second later, he felt and heard Jack mutter groggily. "You awake?"

"Yes." Feeling it would be useless to try and turn in Jack's grasp - and having the feeling that the other man wouldn't really appreciate the movement - Ianto stayed still, only moving a hand down to rest on Jack's larger hand. The captain turned his hand palm out, grasping Ianto's loosely in his own and giving it a squeeze. "We're not late for work, are we?"

"Dunno..." Jack grunted out, apparently not at all bothered by the thought. "We're there the earliest, anyway. One day won't do any harm." Ianto heard him yawn, then felt the bed dip as Jack sat up and pulled Ianto with him. He found his shoulder resting against his boss' chest, his hand still grasped in Jack's. "Feeling better?"

Ianto didn't respond for a moment, then tilted his head a bit to see Jack better. "I feel like that's all you ever ask me." Another pause followed, and then he shrugged. "Better, yeah."

He felt the other man nod and pull away a little more to look Ianto in the eyes. "Good." Jack moved a little closer, his eyes focusing on Ianto's and giving him time to pull away. When the younger man stayed still, Jack moved forward more and brushed their lips together for a moment, grip tightening around Ianto's waist in an almost possessive manner that, somehow, didn't bother the Welshman. After a second, Ianto moved in Jack's grip so that he was facing the American and let his hand move up, tangling in Jack's hair as he slowly kissed him back, letting Jack control how the kiss went along.

Ianto felt surprised when Jack let the kiss go along slowly for a while - usually, he was all teeth and tongue whenever they did kiss, which was rare considering Jack liked to take things fast - but didn't protest as he moved his lips along with the older man's. He felt a moan slip passed his throat when Jack's tongue ran over his bottom lip, and quickly parted his lips to allow the others tongue entrance. A rumble against his back told Ianto that Jack had just given a low growl before he suddenly felt himself turned and pressed to the bed, Jack above him with a large grin on his lips.

They stared at each other for a moment, both breathing heavily before Jack crashed their lips together again. Ianto wasn't quite sure what had brought this on - it couldn't have had anything to do with the previous day, considering how horrible it had been - but he didn't complain, simply closed his eyes and went with the moment. He felt Jack's hand skim over his leg, then unbutton his shirt, palm pressing against Ianto's stomach and massaging, drawing another slow moan from the younger man's lips.

A sudden loud buzzing made Ianto jerk his lips away from Jack's. He looked around hastily, then saw the captain's phone laying on the bedside table. Shifting up on his elbows and ignoring the loud huff from Jack, Ianto snatched the phone up and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?" He felt his face color as his voice came out more breathless than he'd wanted and watched Jack for a moment.

"Ianto?" Tosh, who sounded faintly worried before she went on. "I take it Jack's still with you?"

"Y - _Yes_." Ianto startled, his voice dropping into a low hiss when Jack's lips brushed against his pulse point and his teeth nibbled on the spot. Tangling his hand in the older man's hair, Ianto tugged in a half hearted attempt to get Jack to stop. He felt the captain laugh against his skin and shuddered. "Uhh. Do you want t - to talk to him?"

A pause across the line, and then Tosh spoke again, her voice slightly suspicious. "Oh, no. We just need you both in, there's been a Weevil spotting near the Hub."

Ianto swallowed when he felt Jack move further down, a shudder racking down his body. "Right. We'll be there in a bit..." He hung up quickly before Tosh could respond and glared down at Jack, who was currently nipping and sucking his way down Ianto's chest. When the captain felt Ianto's glare, he glanced up with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I being a distraction?"

"You're a bloody wanker is what you are."

Jack gave his familiar deep laugh. "And damn proud of it too." He grinned at Ianto, who rolled his eyes with a sigh and a slight smile.

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**Read and review, please and thank you!**


	18. Chapter 15

**Once more, I'm sorry about the wait! I've been extremely busy with getting ready for college, plus I also went a pretty sweet road trip with a few friends :]. This should be updated a lot more quickly now!**

CelticHeiressFiona: Thank you :D! Yeahh, I need to start job searching. It's hard to find jobs now, though, sadly!

captain-ally: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter as well!

JackHarknessJones: This chapter is short too, sadly, but they're going to get longer soon, since I think my life is going to calm down a little bit :].

specialfrancine: Hope you like this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

It took longer to get ready than Ianto would have liked, considering the fact that Jack had seemed determined to delay them as often as he could. With a slight sigh that was tinged with amusement, Ianto slapped Jack's hands away from his waistcoat for the hundreth time. He heard the older man give an overexaggerated "ow" and hid a smile with difficulty. "Are we ready to go, then?" He turned slightly to see Jack struggling into his undershirt and moved forward to help, grabbing the edges and tugging the shirt down further until his boss fitted normally into it. With a smile, Ianto glanced away, only to have Jack turn his face back toward him to press a deep kiss to his lips, his patented grin visible when they pulled apart.

"Ready." Jack pulled on his coat and headed toward the door, Ianto following a second later. He turned, shutting and locking it, testing the handle before taking the stairs down to his car. Opening the door, Ianto slid inside and waited for Jack to hop in before starting up the vehicle and starting to pull out.

Glancing over at his boss, the Welshman gave a slight grin. "I hope you can manage to keep your hands to yourself right now, Jack. I don't really fancy dying today." At Jack's laugh, the grin widened and Ianto pulled out into the street, heading toward the Hub. The ride was silent, but not uncomfortable, so Ianto didn't mind it all that much.

And, surprisingly, Jack managed to keep his hands to himself.

Almost two hours after returning to work, and Ianto wished that he'd just stayed in bed and convinced Jack that they all needed a vacation.

Days at Torchwood usually started horribly, but this one had been new. Someone had painted the "company" name in blood, and had stirred up the local police. One woman had apparently been rather rude to the rest of the team, although Jack had laughed it off as soon as they'd all reached the Hub. Ianto had assumed that would be the worst of it, but, of course, he'd been painfully wrong about that.

He couldn't belive that Jack had agreed to bring Suzie back. It was weird, how unnerved Ianto was just by _looking_ at her. He was thankful that he'd managed to avoid her for time being, and the only complete image of her he'd gotten was now, as Gwen sat in the interrogation room with her. Leaning a little over Owen, who looked a little shaken himself, Ianto stared at the computer screen and shuddered, pulling away.

Gwen had a weird expression on her face, almost sympathising, and Ianto had the feeling this was going to end badly.

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**R&R please :D!**


	19. Chapter 16

**Woo! Sending these chapters out faster now :D!**

**Cyber-ianto:** Thank you :D! I'm extremely happy/honored that you added this to your favorites! Hope you like this chapter as well!**  
**

**Isis2: **I know, I wish RTD had given us more happy, normal moments with these two. And thank you!**  
**

**CelticHeiressFiona:** Eee, thank you! And sweet, congrats on the job! Still searching myself, I think I just have to try harder than I have been.

**specialfrancine:** Thank you!**  
**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Three days later was to find Jack and Ianto not on speaking terms.

Or rather, Jack was paying more and more attention to bloody _Gwen_, and Ianto was stubbornly refusing to make eye contact or stay in the same room with either of them for longer than necessary. Jealousy and anger were coursing through him, and Ianto didn't trust himself to keep it all in if he was in the same room as Jack or Gwen. There was no reason to explode - well, there was, but Ianto had the feeling that it would end up doing more harm than good if he lashed out at either of them.

For the first day, he'd tried convincing himself that Jack had reason to be hovering over Gwen and sneaking her glances. She'd almost _died_ thanks to Suzie (and partly because of Jack, who had agreed to bringing the psycho back), so Ianto had tried to be understanding. He'd honestly tried.

But, by the second day, he was beyond fed up. Ianto could feel Jack growing more and more irritated every time his hand was thrown off the Welshman's shoulder, or every time the older man tried to come on to him in some way. They hadn't slept together for those three days, and every time Jack tried to convince Ianto to stay or tried to ask to come over to his flat, Ianto bolted before the older man could get more than a word out of his mouth.

Now, Ianto was driving furiously back to his flat, narrowing his eyes at anyone who so much as looked at him funny. Earlier in the day, Jack had managed to corner Ianto down in the archives, and a rather loud and nearly violent fight had broken out between them, resulting in Ianto storming through the Hub and out of the building before Jack could call him back.

_Serves the prat right._ The Welshman thought savagely, flexing his hands on the steering wheel and clenching his jaw. _Ignores me, gives __**Gwen**__ his attention, and then gets pissy with __**me**__ when he's the one screwing everything up._ He shook his head, slamming on his breaks at the light and closing his eyes, counting to ten. The last thing Ianto needed was an accident right after his slightly dramatic exit from the Hub.

Pulling into the parking lot, Ianto slowly climbed out and straightened his suit, smoothing a hand over the tie. He resisted the urge to comb a hand through his hair - as it always became a tangled, irritating mess whenever Ianto did that - and started up the stairs. He took out his keys with a small sigh, swinging them on one finger as he reached his door.

Ianto had just unlocked the door and pushed it open when he felt someone behind him. He tensed, turning abruptly and finding himself nose-to-nose with an extremely angry looking Captain Jack Harkness. The older man had the nerve to _glare_ at him, blue eyes flashing and lips pulled into a scowl. Ianto opened his mouth to give a scathing remark when he felt the American's hand clench around his wrist and drive him back into the flat.

His back hit the wall, knocking a bit of air from his lungs, and then Jack pressed close. Ianto had enough time to see the hard blue of his boss's eyes before the older man suddenly bent down, pressing their lips together roughly, nipping at Ianto's bottom lip. The Welshman felt his legs turn to jello, his eyes close, the last bit of air that had been left in his lungs leaving as he parted his lips for the older man...

And then the fact that he was still upset with Jack rushed back. It took more effort than Ianto would have liked, but he forced himself to stop kissing Jack and to stop responding to the older man's touchces.

Ianto placed his hands on the man's chest, shoving hard enough to send Jack a few paces bcak. Breathing heavily, Ianto rubbed a hand over his mouth and scowled at Jack, who looked breathless, but still furious. It was silent for a moment, the glaring contest continuing, and then Ianto drew in a breath, straightening. "What the _fuck_ was that for?"

He watched as Jack straightened as well, his jaw clenching, obviously gearing for a fight.

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**I felt like adding more angst in their relationship, obviously :P.**

**Please R&R :D!  
**


	20. Chapter 17

**I am such a horrible person, I'm terribly sorry for leaving you all for this long D:. I've just been busy with college (classes and plus, a major change) and family drama. I finally have an update for you, and hopefully this chapter and the next make up for my absence! The next chapter will be up here _much_ sooner - either Sunday or Monday. Possibly Tuesday. But it _will_ be soon, I promise!**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter Seventeen

"We need to talk. I want to know what the hell is wrong with you."

Jack's voice was angry, not loud like Ianto would have expected, but deathly quiet. His words were enough to make the Welshman pause, his jaw slightly slackened as he stared. He had thought his abrupt and loud exit from the Hub would be enough to tell Jack that he didn't _want _to talk. That he just wanted Jack to bugger off. Apparently - unfortunately - it seemed that the older man was incapable of reading obvious signs.

They stared at each other for another moment, and then Ianto broke it with a low growl. "I'm not in the mood to talk, Jack." He knew it was childish, but - for once - Ianto could care less. He was hurt and he was mad, and he could be childish for however long he wanted to be. "Just get out."

"Not until you tell me what I apparently did wrong." Jack snapped, and the younger man glanced over in time to catch the annoyed flash in his boss's blue eyes. "You've been acting weird for the past three days and I want to know why. Now."

Ianto's eyes narrowed, and he gnawed on his cheek for a moment to keep back words he knew he'd regret. One look at Jack again, however, and Ianto knew that the only way to get the captain to leave him alone was to say exactly what was _"wrong"_ with him. So the Welshman took a deep breath, tilting his head back before letting it snap forward again, not quite making eye contact with Jack. "Because apparently you're so desperate to sleep Gwen. It's just bloody irritating to realize all I've been to you is a toy." His jaw clenched as Ianto's eyes fixed angrily on the narrowed, startled gaze of his boss.

The older man didn't speak for a moment, his expression somehow amused, irritated, and confused at the same time. "You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"I don't _kid_ about things like this, Jack."

The American actually had the nerve to tilt his head back and let out one of his laughs before staring back at Ianto with a grin. "I don't want to sleep with Gwen, Ianto. Just you. Where the hell did you get that idea, anyway?"

"That's a load of bullocks and you know it." Ianto didn't appreciate feeling insulted, and at the moment, it was like Jack was insulting his intelligence. He could _tell_ by the way his boss looked at Gwen. The way he touched her. The way he always had this _stupid_ grin on his face whenever the woman was near.

These thoughts only made Ianto more ready for a fight, and he opened his mouth to snap more insults at Jack before the older man suddenly reached out a hand and tugged him forward with an amused mutter of, "_c'mere, you idiot._" The next second, the Welshman found himself pressed closely to Jack's chest, their gazes locked and a silly grin on Jack's lips. It half excited Ianto, and half made him want to smack Jack.

The second half was currently beating the first to a bloody pulp, and Ianto was close to giving in until Jack suddenly bent his head down and captured Ianto's lips with his, tongue swiping at the younger man's bottom lip. Without much thought, Ianto leaned into Jack out of habit (at least that's what he told himself) and kissed back before suddenly shaking his head and using his hand again to push Jack away, although not as far away as he had before. Their gazes locked again - Jack's amused and slightly hazy with lust, Ianto's only with a slight hint of doubt.

"I still don't believe you."

Jack's grin turned into a familiar lazy smirk and then he bent his head again to nip gently at Ianto's ear. "Let me prove it to you, then." His grip shifted, Jack's hand locking around Ianto's and tugging before he lead him back into the bedroom, the smirk still on his lips.

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***Evil cackle***

**Cliffhangerrrr!**

**R&R please and thank you!  
**


	21. Chapter 18

**So...kind of nervous about this chapter because I'm not sure how well I did with it xD. If it sucks, then I'll probably take it down and switch the rating back to "T", honestly.**

**Also, I wanted to say thank you to all the readers who were with this from the beginning and are willing to put up with my random updates. To the new readers, hope you're enjoying :D! On another note, I will get to responding to reviews next chapter.  
**

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Chapter Eighteen

The trip to the bedroom was shorter than Ianto remembered, and he soon found himself pressed down on the dark blue sheets with Jack on top, straddling his waist. There was another brief flash of Jack's toothy grin before the captain bent his head and captured Ianto's lips in a deep, demanding kiss that made the Welshman shudder and moan softly underneath him. One of Jack's hands moved, laying on Ianto's chest before his fingers got working quickly on the man's shirt.

Ianto shifted, arching slightly to help Jack work off the shirt without breaking the kiss. His breathing turned into mild pants as the Welshman moved his hands up and tangled them in Jack's hair, pulling him closer with a low growl. A soft laugh sounded from the man above him, before it turned to a rough moan when Ianto pressed his groin against Jack's with a grin of his own. His boss's tongue suddenly ran over his bottom lip, and Ianto permitted it, grumbling when Jack pulled away for a moment with a slightly triumphant smirk.

"I take it you're not mad at me anymore?" Jack asked breathlessly as he moved a little off Ianto to start undoing his belt, bright blue eyes connecting with Ianto's darker ones. Not waiting for an answer, the older man pushed down the Welshman's pants before bending down once more to claim Ianto's lips.

Ianto had opened his mouth to retort before he melted into Jack, shaking his head and reaching up to push Jack's braces off. He nipped at the captain's bottom lip before suddenly using his hold on the man's shirt to switch their positions. "Shut up." It was said with very little venom as Ianto impatiently tugged off Jack's clothes, kissing or gently biting at every inch of Jack's skin that was revealed.

Once both of their clothes were gone, Ianto ran his hands down Jack's chest, giving the man what he hoped was a seductive smile. Judging from the captain's face, he'd been successful, and Ianto surpressed a smug grin that wanted to escape. Instead, he settled on running his hand further down, brushing it over Jack's hard on and letting the smirk escape when Jack gave a breathy moan and tilted his head back.

Leaning down, the smirk still in place, Ianto worked on leaving a mark on Jack's neck as his hand slowly moved up and down the older man's length. As soon as Jack's breathing turned into heavy, slightly gasping pants, Ianto pulled his hand away. He heard the annoyed moan that slid passed Jack's lips when he stopped and chuckled, moving to straddle the man. "Hush, you, I'm not done yet."

_Even though it'd serve you right for earlier._

Shaking his head at the thought, Ianto roughly pressed his lips to Jack's. He shifted on the man's lap for a moment, grinning at another breathy moan, and then slowly sank down on Jack. His breath caught and Ianto tilted his head back with a shudder, hands moving to rest on Jack's chest in order to help himself balance.

From that point, it became hard for Ianto concentrate - all he could feel was Jack's skin, hear his moans and then eventually his shout when he finally released. He felt Jack's hands all over him, felt Jack's tongue in his mouth and his hand in his hair. When the man's hand wrapped around him, Ianto thrusted up slightly before he released as well, dropping down on top of Jack with a whimper.

He gradually moved off Jack with a groan after a moment or two, and then laid down beside the man. Ianto let the captain wrap his arms around him and pull him against the older man's chest, laying his head down and giving a content sigh. It was quiet as he closed his eyes and smiled, taking in the moment for as long as he could before shifting to rest on his elbows and look Jack in the eyes.

"You know, one day you're not going to be able to get out of trouble with me by offering sex."

It was said in a teasing voice and Ianto let himself grin as Jack blinked and then laughed.

"Yeah, well, right now it seems to work pretty damn good."

"Mm." Ianto brushed their lips together before chuckling softly. "You're still a prat." Jack didn't answer. He simply wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist and pulled him close, deepening the kiss and smiling when Ianto melted into him again.


	22. Chapter 19

**Recently, I've been inspired to write more.**

**I've discovered something interesting - there's a guy who works at a Family Fare next to me who looks pretty identical to Gareth David-Lloyd. Not even kidding - if you're not super close to him, they could pass as twins. I did a double take because I honestly thought it was Gareth, and was like "what the hell would GDL be doing in America at a Family Fare?" xD. And then I had a giddy moment when he talked to me, ahaha.  
**

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Chapter Nineteen

After a rather busy and exhausting night (Jack had kept them up until nearly two before departing back to wherever it was he lived), Ianto had reluctantly dragged himself out of his warm bed and headed to work. He'd taken his usual route through the tourist office, moving out of the elevator with what he knew was a slight bounce to his step. Last night had been a victory, in Ianto's opinion. He headed to his station and turned on the coffee machine, listening to the familiar comforting whirl as it got started. Grabbing the cups that sat beside it, Ianto filled each up as he waited for the others. As was usual, Gwen was the first to come sweeping through the Hub doors, her expression slightly irritated and exhausted. The Welshwoman's eyes swept along the rooms before they landed on Ianto, who pretended he didn't notice her arrival. There was the sound of footsteps, and then Gwen appeared next to him, biting her lower lip and staring at him before Ianto turned and looked at her in acknowledgement. "Yes, Gwen?"

The woman didn't answer him for a moment, her eyes intent on his before she spoke. "Are we okay? It's just...you've been acting funny for the last couple of days. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me."

_And you wouldn't be far from the truth._ He thought with a mental chuckle.

Ianto gave her a genuine smile, holding out her coffee cup as he did so. "We're fine, Gwen. We've both been busy, I suppose." He took a moment to consider that it probably wasn't a good thing he was this talented with lying before focusing back on the moment when Gwen took the coffee mug. "How is Rhys doing?"

She appeared startled by the question, hands wrapping around the mug as her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. Bringing the cup up to her lips and taking a small sip of the coffee, Gwen took a moment to answer. "He's been alright - work's been keeping him busy as well, so we haven't seen much of each other." She didn't sound as upset as most would be, not getting any time in with their significant other, and Ianto bit back a moment of irritation, knowing the reason. "Rhys has got the night off, though, so if we get off early here as well he promised to take me out to dinner."

By the sound of her voice, it was clear Gwen was half hoping that they'd be trapped here for the entire day.

"That's nice of him." Ianto settled on saying just as the doors opened again, Owen and Tosh coming in together. The doctor made his way to his station as Tosh beelined to Ianto and Gwen, giving them both a tentative smile. "Good morning, Tosh." The Welshman greeted with a smile of his own, reaching blindly to his left to grab her coffee and handing it to her. She looked a little stressed, but Ianto figured anyone would after being near Owen.

"Morning, Ianto. Gwen."

The two women started to talk as Ianto turned to grab Owen and Jack's coffee, pausing as he realized that he had no idea where his boss was. He turned back to Gwen and Tosh after a moment, clearing his throat. "Have either of you seen Jack?"

"Oh, yeah." Tosh nodded, gesturing up. "I saw him inside his office working on papers or something."

Ianto inclined his head a little with a smile before moving toward the autopsy area, handing Owen his coffee with barely a word and heading up the stairs to give Jack his as well. He had barely moved three steps before sirens went off, announcing rift activity. There was a clatter, and then Jack came running out of his office, tugging his coat on as the other three moved into action.

With a small sigh, the Welshman went to go put the cup back down, shaking his head.

Just once, he would have liked a calm day in the office.

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**R&R please and thank you!**


	23. Chapter 20

**Short chapter again, sorry D:! The next few chapters are going to be longer because we're nearing the end of the fanfic (there's only going to be maybeee...five more chapters. Possibly less. Depends). Also, if my updates get more erratic than usual, it's because college is overtaking my life. Another update probably won't be until later next week, but it WILL be next week :].**

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Chapter Twenty

Ianto never would have thought he'd one day see Owen Harper depressed and down trodden. It had always been a slightly amusing image, because it had seemed so unlikely at the time. Now, he was gazing down at the doctor, leaning against one of the many glass walls in Jack's office. Owen's movements were slow, his eyes downcast and his face more withdrawn than Ianto had ever seen it.

"Think he'll be alright?"

Ianto turned now to look at Jack, who was frowning down at a pile of folders that were spread out before him. At the Welshman's question, the captain's blue eyes flicked up for a brief moment. Like Owen, something was a little off with Jack - his bright, toothy grin appeared slower and less usual, and the shine wasn't in his eyes.

"What?"

"Owen." The younger man muttered with a slight, unneccessary tilt of the head in Owen's direction. "Ever since Miss Holmes left, he's been acting out of sorts." For once, Ianto could actually sympathize with the normally irritating doctor. He knew how it felt to have your heart broken.

He watched as Jack frowned, a hand gliding across the captain's face for a moment. "Give him time. He'll be back to his normal self soon, I'm sure." Pushing away from the desk, Jack straightened and cracked his back before moving toward Ianto. The Welshman let Jack's arms slide around his waist, letting the American tug him into a loose hold.

Another odd thing - while Jack tended to be a little more on the touchy side when it came to Ianto, he usually knew to keep his hands to himself when they were at work. For once, Ianto didn't comment and settled a hand on Jack's arm instead, glancing back out at the autopsy room. "I suppose." Ianto's gaze flicked to his boss now, running with concern over his face and frowning. "Jack."

The captain didn't turn his head, but inclined it slightly. "Mm?"

"Are _you_ alright?"

He saw the grimace before Jack gave him a bright smile which lacked any sincerity. "Yeah. I'm good."

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**Just so everyone knows - I have Jack acting kind of odd because of the whole thing with John killing himself in "Out of Time". I feel like that would have done a lot to Jack and he'd probably be shaken up for a while.**

**Anyway!**

**R&R please and thank you!  
**


	24. Chapter 21

**So, change of plans! This, sadly, is the end for "Time Heals". I felt like I couldn't do much with "Combat" because it's primary focus is on Owen, and I couldn't do much with "Captain Jack Harkness" either, because that's a Jack and Tosh centric episode.**

**However, I _will_ be writing a sequel to this, and soon, hopefully!**

**In the meantime, while I'm working on that, I'm also open to prompts for one-shots it anyone would like me to write something. To keep my creative juices flowing and whatnot :].**

**Hope everyone enjoys the final chapter, and thanks for reading!  
**

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Chapter Twenty-One

"He left us. He just _bloody left us_!"

Ianto sat quietly on the couch, his hands gripped tightly together as the words flew passed Gwen's lips like venom, her footsteps heavy and angry as she paced. Next to him sat Tosh, her eyes wide and terrified - scared of how they were going to survive without their fearless leader. Owen stood in the corner, arms crossed defensively in front of him as though preparing for some battle to arise, his mouth pinched into a tight line. It was as if they'd suddenly all been struck blind, stumbling in the dark as soon as Jack's absence had made itself known.

Jaw tightening and teeth grinding together furiously for a moment, Ianto lifted his head up and wound his fingers tighter together, licking his lips. An agitated shift and then the Welshman was on his feet and sweeping passed Gwen without looking at her. He took the stairs of the Hub slowly, heading into Jack's office and leaning against the doorway as soon as he'd reached the top.

Ianto already knew what he'd find before he even looked.

The desk was its usual mess, papers strewn everywhere without care. The chair was pushed slightly back as if Jack had been sitting at the desk, regarding the file that lay open. The RAF coat was gone, and the stand was a little lopsided, as though its owner had left in a hurry. And the owner _had_ indeed been in a hurry - they'd watched the CCTV footage and caught sight of Jack tearing away toward something, shouting words that couldn't be heard.

Taking a deep breath, Ianto shoved away from the door and headed further inside, looking around closely for a moment before his eyes fixed out on the Hub. More than just the coat and Jack was missing - the hand that the captain had always kept near him was gone as well, and judging from the footage, Jack had taken it with him for some unknown reason. With a small grunt, the Welshman slid a hand over his face and leaned back against the desk, resting his free hand against it to keep steady.

He was tired. Tired of being left behind. Tired of being hurt. Mainly, Ianto was just tired of falling in love with a person who didn't seem to fucking care. Time and time again, it happened. And it always seemed like Ianto was too _stupid_ to stay away from people he knew would only hurt him in the end.

Lisa had used him. Controlled him. Manipulated him into someone he had never wanted to be.

Jack had made him feel alive again. He'd brought back everything Ianto had thought he'd lost. And then Jack had just disappeared - left Ianto behind like it was nothing. Like _he_ was nothing.

_Well, screw you very much too, Jack Fucking Harkness._

Heaving another deep breath and forcing himself away from the desk, Ianto moved out of the office. His hand rested for a moment on the doorknob, tightening until his knuckles turned white, and then with a great pull he swung the door shut and headed down the stairs, listening to the loud _bang_ as pain and anger raced through him, feeling as though a bullet had been shot through his soul.

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**Not the best ending, I'm afraid. But you have the sequel to look forward to, right :P?**

**As always, R&R please and thank you!  
**


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